In Tirana, OMA's new stadium is a catalyst for urban renewal

OMA won the international competition to redesign the historic Selman Stërmasi Stadium, built in 1956. The project intends not only to improve the accessibility, efficiency and attractiveness of the sports facility, by reconfiguring, expanding its spaces and increasing its capacity from 9,500 to 15,000, but to make the complex a symbolic epicentre of renewal of the district, which will provide a key connection with the nearby districts of Blloku, Komuna and Parisit and become a catalyst for lively urban energies.

The project involves the renovation/expansion of the existing building, the creation of a new triangular multi-purpose square for events, outdoor sports, recreational activities and social dynamics beyond football matches, and the insertion of new functions (tertiary, hospitality, commercial and residential) in the volumes that form the backdrop to the building. Reminiscent of the ancient Amantia stadium from the 3rd century B.C. located in southern Albania and characterised by an arena carved into the rocky mountain, the monolithic buildings are clad in stone and arranged around the stadium to form an urban mountain ridge shaped by peaks, gorges, cairns and glades: a scenic impact that turns the spotlight on the neighbourhood in transformation, between historical suggestions and a glimpse to the future.